Picture-display apparatus



E. c. LEACHMAN. PICTURE DISPLAY APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE H. 1920.

1,357,783. Patented Nov. 2, 1920.

I 1 i j z: 14 Z 27 WITNESS: INVENTbR.

ATTORNEYS .IDRSSQS OCCllpy more pl UNETED STATES PATENT EDWARD CLAUDE LEAGI-IMAN, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR To PEAR-L PIC- TOEIAL (FOREIGN AND COLONIAL) LTD., OF LONDON, ENGLAND, A CORPORA- TION OF GREAT BRITAIN.

PICTURE-DISPLAY APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2, 192%.,

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, EDWARD CLAUDE LEAGI-IMAN, a subject of the King of England, residing at London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Picture-Display Apparatus, of Which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an apparatus by which a painting, or the like, may be illuminated from the rear so as to produce beautiful efi'ects particularly adapted to attract attentionfor advertising purposes.

One of the objects of my invention is to illuminate a picture made up of masses of diiierent colors, in such a way that the lamps used will distribute their light uniformly over the areas of the picture to be illuminated.

Another object of my invention is to heighten the color effects due to the original color masses without changing their relative color values.

lVith these and other objects in view, my invention consists of the apparatus hereinafter described and more fully pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a typical form of my invention which l have chosen for purposes of illustration only, and l i 2 is a section of Fig. 1 on line 2-2.

Lorresponding numerals indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

lin the illustrative form of my invention the picture is produced on a sheet of woven fabric stretched over a frame 11 in the usual manner. Preferably, the picture is painted on this fabric which, preferably, is of tracing cloth or other thin, translucent linen, the paint used being of the usual translucent kind and applied in relatively thin masses. picture is preferably chosen so that the color less definite areas, of

the picture. For instance, in the picture chosen for illustrative purposes, the area 12, representingthe sky, would be blue, the area 13, representing the foliage of the trees, would be green, and the area l-l. representing the earth, would be brown. it will be noted that, in general, each mass of color is segregated "1113311 the other masses, although it will be understood that this is only the general idea and it is possible for the picture to he successfully (lisplzrveii even when sonn- To obtain the best el fe'cts, the

of the colors extend into other masses in relatively narrow portions or lines.

The frame 11 is held in a suitable casing 15 by means of a removable plate, as 16, against stops 17, so that, by removing the plate 16, the picture to be displayed can be changed. 1'

At the back of the box 15 I place a plurality of incandescent lamps in my preferred form, these lamps being arranged in groups, each group being behind a mass of one color. For instance, in the form illus trated, the lamps 16, 17, 18 and 19 are arranged in one circuit, and are distributed behind the blue mass 12. Similarly, the lamps 20, 21 are in a single circuit, and are located behind the green mass 13. The

lamps 22, 23 are behind the brown mass 14.

Preferably, between the lamps just described and the picture fabric 10 I provide a second sheet of fabric 24, which, preferably, is a plain sheet of tracing cloth, which second sheet is spaced from the picture fabric 10 a short distance as by fastening it on the back of the frame 11.

The interior of the box 15 may be made a reflector, if desired. 1

As one convenient form for use of my a paratus for advertising purposes, I arrange each circuit operating a group of lamps with any suitable flasher device, by which the group of lamps may be turned off and on at predetermined times. i have illustrated such a device as one oi the well-known forms of thermo flasher which is shown diagrammatically, as at 25, Q6, 2?.

ln order to produce the best effects l. color the lamps in accordance with the color oi? the color mass with which the lamps are associated. For instance, the glass of the lamps 16, 17, .18 and 19 will be blue of somewhat the same shade the color of the sky to be illuminated, the lamps 20, 23. being arranged to emit a green light, and so on.

ll ith the apparatus arranged as described and which is my preferred form, the flasher device will be set so that, for instance, the circuit controlled by the device will first go on so as to illuminate the blue mass 12 and give the etl'cct ot night or dawn. it will be understood that sullicient light will be thrown on the face of the picture so that the remaining portions "hill at this time be visible but will he somber by contrast with the brilliantly illuminated Sky. Then, for

instance, the next flasher device 26 willopcrate so as to light up the green mass, and finally the brown mass will be lighted up.

By coloring the lamps so as to cause a light to be emitted from each group corresponding to the color mass, with which it is associated, I find that I can have different portions of the picture lighted by a group of lamps all contained within the same casing, and yet Without such a mixture of light as to cause the color values of the different masses to be changed. For instance, by having a blue light behind the blue'sky, the lighting of this group would have substantially no illuminating effect on either the green or the brown masses of the illustrative picture.

By providing the woven fabric as a support for the picture, I obtain a diffusion of light from the picture fabric itself, so that the existence of individual points of light, as from the differentlamps, is concealed and the light from each lamp is distributed over a large area of the picture. This effect is still further increased in my preferred form by the second sheet of fabric 24, which, when fastened to the frame 11, is incorporated directly into the picture structure itself. By spacing this fabricfrom the picture fabric lOthe light from the lamps is first diffused by the fabric 24, and, ofcourse, again diffused in passing through the picture fabric itself. Consequently, the light from the individual lamps is uniformly distributed. and I can, therefore, use relatively few lamps for the illumination of large masses of-color. I

It will be understood that my device may be varied within wide limits and that the form which I have shown in the drawings is merely illustrative.

I claim 1. In a device of the class described, a piece of translucent woven fabric having a picture thereon formed with transparent coloring matter, the picture being made up of masses of different colors to depict different objects, a second sheet of translucent woven fabric behind the picture fabric and memes spaced therefrom, a plurality of electric lamps behind the second sheet, said lamps being arranged in groups with each group behind one of the masses of color and each group being adapted to emit a color corresponding with the color of the mass with which the groupis associated, and a flasher device, for each group of lamps, whereby the lamps of each group are automatically switched on and 01f at predetermined intervals.

2. In a device of the class described, a piece of translucent Woven fabric having a picture thereon formed with transparent coloring matter, the picture being made up of masses of different colors to depict different objects, a second sheet of translucent woven fabric behind the picture fabric and spaced therefrom, .anda plurality of lamps behind the second sheet, said lamps being ar-' ranged in groups with each group behind one of the masses of color and each group being adapted to emit a color corresponding with the color of the mass with which the group is associated.

3. In a device of the class described, a piece of translucent woven fabric having a 'picture thereon formed with transparent coloring matter, the picture being made an) of masses of different colors to depict different objects, a plurality of electric lamps behind the picture fabric, said lamps being arranged in groups with each group behind one of the masses of color and each group being adapted to emit a color corresponding with the color of the mass with which the group is associated.

4:. In a device of the class described, a piece of translucent woven fabric having a. picture thereon formed with transparent coloring matter, the picture being made up of masses of different colors to depict different objects, a secondsheet of translucent fabric behind the picture fabric and spaced therefrom, and a plurality of lamps behind the secondsheet, said lamps being arranged in groups with each group behind one of the masses of color, and means to light each grou independentl of the other groups.

DWARD CL UDE LEACHMAN. 

